tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-187407522012-01-12T20:49:10.750-06:00Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.comBlogger6041100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-78368764199190391242011-02-14T10:14:00.002-06:002011-02-14T10:16:14.899-06:00

Cotton variety tech fee information for both Monsanto and Dow can be found at the AgriAFC web site. Here's the direct link to the listings, which are broken down by state or region in both the Delta states and the Southeast. Thanks to Angus Catchot for passing this along.

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-14079523513715390982011-02-10T07:40:00.006-06:002011-02-14T12:18:58.786-06:00

My friend Vern Crawford -- who lives in Kern County, California, and is widely known as "Vern From Kern" -- attended the World Ag Expo in Tulare, California, this week and said the neatest new product he saw was a gizmo called the Ag Flag. The idea is elegantly simply: Place the bright orange flag -- mounted on a lightweight, flexible metal rod -- into the ground toward the end of the field or

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-85756349801786394452011-02-09T11:48:00.005-06:002011-02-14T12:20:40.370-06:00

Roundup Ready Resistance has been an ongoing news item on agfax.com and in some of our crop newsletters for the last couple of years. University newsletters and blogs are full of stories about weeds that have become and are becoming resistant to the weed killer, also known as glyphosate. The best minds in agriculture are thrashing around with ideas and suggestions for the biggest gun to take

Debrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02999949006183146424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-1112315248589153512011-02-08T08:59:00.010-06:002011-02-14T12:21:27.403-06:00

If you grew up in a location like me, the rural Mississippi Delta, then you probably longed for cable tv like your "city" friends had. We were lucky. Our house had a tv antenna. It stood like a mighty sentinel collecting ALL three possible tv channels and pouring news and entertainment into our lives. It even worked pretty well, depending on the weather. Wind was hard on tv antennas and in

Debrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02999949006183146424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-49601343615042053942011-02-07T13:55:00.005-06:002011-02-14T12:22:45.387-06:00

Anyone in the business of farming will probably find at least one item of interest in a White Paper prepared by The Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation (CALT). Here's a quick list of the the Top 10 Agricultural Law Developments of 2010 items using the David Letterman method: 10-Crop Insurance and Fraud 9-Expense Method/Depreciation on Leased Property 8-Medical Reimbursement Plans 7-New

Debrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02999949006183146424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-54836869489583986052011-02-06T20:23:00.007-06:002011-02-06T20:43:24.502-06:00

Agricultural apps for the iPhone, Android and other smartphones and mobile devices are floating around now. Our universal app's opening screen Our mobile web site, http://agfax.mobi, is actually set up so that you can employ it -- nearly instantly -- as an app on most phones and devices. Think of it as a free universal app. Through it, we provide ag weather and news, plus futures quotes for

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-25441038771198816872011-02-05T11:06:00.000-06:002011-02-05T11:06:40.964-06:00

Prevailing wisdom has been putting cotton plantings in the U.S. up 15% to 20%. The National Cotton Council's (NCC) winter planting intentions survey report nudges the bottom of that range at nearly 14%, with a total anticipated acreage of 12.5 million. Here's NCC's announcement with regional observations. NCC Vice President Gary Adams emphasized that, “the cotton market is currently calling

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-37700491439044654522011-02-04T15:22:00.000-06:002011-02-04T15:22:30.862-06:00

Grain bin safety is the focus of a free video released by the National Corn Growers Association and the National Grain and Feed Foundation. The two organizations teamed up in November to develop the video in response to an increase in U.S. fatalities and injuries associated with entry into grain bins. One of the surprising things in the video is the higher rates of bin-related deaths among

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-7216078699966605462011-02-04T08:58:00.000-06:002011-02-04T08:58:15.158-06:00

County fairs in California are in jeopardy on a wide basis because of proposed budget cuts that would eliminate state subsidies for the events, says the California Fairs Alliance (CFA). The group estimates that as many as 29 fairs could hit the rocks without state underwriting to the California fair network. By the CFA's estimate, the state would give up $126 million in annual direct tax income

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-14767117171538259782011-02-02T11:38:00.003-06:002011-02-02T11:51:07.310-06:00

Absentee landowners in some cases aren't keeping up with land values and are evidently selling significantly below the market, according to Lee Vermeer, vice president of real estate operations at Farmers National Company, which handles farm real estate sales in a number of states. Nearly 20% of private treaty sales transactions are considered to be sales by non-farming owners. He says the

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-611887280210591832011-01-26T12:54:00.000-06:002011-01-26T12:54:48.430-06:00

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) said that President Obama's state of the union address last night was generally positive on points that affect its membership, including potential to expand trade agreements and continued support for corn-based ethanol. The following points are from a press release issued by NCGA today: Trade: Specifically, NCGA Chairman Darrin Ihnen cited

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-88719692830236626702011-01-24T14:04:00.001-06:002011-01-24T14:05:58.033-06:00

R.J. Byrne, Extension Agent in Thomas County, Georgia, has produced a short video (see below) about Georgia's approach for controlling Roundup-resistant Palmer pigweed in cotton. In the video, Byrne interviews Stanley Culpepper, Georgia Extension Weed Scientist. Here's a supplemental handout that goes into more detail about herbicides, rates and other factors touched on during the video.

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-60486145304241547962011-01-24T10:39:00.000-06:002011-01-24T10:39:32.482-06:00

How is cotton penciling out for farmers in the Southeast? Eddie McGriff, Extension Agent in Coffee County, Georgia, said today that he ran the numbers for irrigated cotton for one of his growers and found that – at least with the grower’s yields – cotton was the best choice. Here’s how McGriff made his calculations: “December 2011 cotton futures were at $1.13 and March 2011 was at $1.61. I

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-58869228030017754992011-01-18T11:53:00.000-06:002011-01-18T11:53:37.992-06:00

A mobile classroom operated by the University of Arkansas is providing hands-on communications training to high school ag students and teachers. It's a great way to provide social networking tools to the future leaders of farming. Here's a link to a full report: http://agfax.com/Content/arkansas-video-traiking-01182011.aspx

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-35335026911968116212011-01-18T07:28:00.007-06:002011-01-18T08:16:13.633-06:00

Keith Good's Farm Policy reports that several sources, including a Wall Street Journal analyst, predict a record number of acres will be planted this year. The reports are all singing the same song, shorter global food supplies due to major weather calamities will increase U.S. acreage.It's also worth reading further to see an interesting item in Good's report by Dennis T. Avery. A senior

Debrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02999949006183146424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-43821524136217190022011-01-14T17:02:00.000-06:002011-01-14T17:02:26.782-06:00

Organic cotton production remains a mostly small-scale enterprise carried out in countries with an abundance of cheap labor. That’s the take-home from a press release issued this week by the Textile Exchange, formerly known as the Organic Exchange. The report was based on 2009-2010 production. According to the release, global organic cotton production amounted to 1.1 million bales produced

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-62344621257711462322011-01-14T10:49:00.000-06:002011-01-14T10:49:11.359-06:00

What do drug violence and the boll weevil have in common?  Quite a bit if you're a cotton grower in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, writes Rod Santa Ana with Texas A&M University. It will be a hot topic at the Cotton Pre-Plant Seminar and annual meeting of the Cotton and Grain Producers on Wednesday, January 19, at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Weslaco, Santa Ana reported

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-91087972003336797692011-01-12T11:56:00.000-06:002011-01-12T11:56:20.310-06:00

Here's a great video of the 101st Matagorda (Texas) Peninsula cattle swim. Also, here's a full article.

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-91701672088840826702010-11-28T10:31:00.004-06:002010-11-28T10:37:34.945-06:00

Because our main web site, agfax.com, carries listings for upcoming ag events -- field days, commodity conferences and such -- we get occasional calls from manufacturers asking if we have or know of any comprehensive directory of meetings. The requests sometimes include listings of international ag events, especially trade shows. Up until now, I didn't have a ready source, especially for events

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-58989337655749972882010-11-19T16:01:00.011-06:002010-11-26T08:40:48.138-06:00

A chapter recently closed in the history of my hometown, Rosedale, Mississippi, when we buried Jerome Levitt “Skeeter” Michael, who as far as I can tell was Rosedale’s last resident of Jewish descent. He was 68. Jews have been living on the riverside of Bolivar County since the first cotton planters came there. Some early Jewish settlers became cotton planters, themselves, and you can still

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-41909103668883408382010-11-18T09:25:00.001-06:002010-11-18T09:26:08.087-06:00

Do you use a cell-phone signal booster, either in your vehicle or in a building? The cell phone carriers would just as soon you didn't, and a trade organization representing wireless companies has filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). demanding stricter regulations of signal boosters. Both AT&T and Verizon have filed papers supporting the complaint, which was made

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-2065535740474730052010-11-17T12:15:00.003-06:002010-11-17T21:56:24.875-06:00

Last night for maybe the fourth time, I immersed myself in Oklahoma!, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical set in the Oklahoma territory as it pushed toward statehood early in the last century. You come out of Oklahoma! wanting to sing, which to me is the hallmark of a great musical. For America and perhaps even for agriculture, Oklahoma! also is an important work of art. Before its debut,

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-78470224017600851282010-11-16T09:21:00.003-06:002010-11-16T09:29:19.767-06:00

For anyone who can't find a truck that's quite big enough, check out bigasstrux.com, the web site of a Salvisa, Kentucky, custom shop that turns used 2- to 2.5-ton tucks into beefy, street-legal rides. The owner, Mike Powell, shortens the trucks and drive trains enough to fit a dually bed on the back, which he raises with a reinforced subframe so that it blends with the cab.. Don't drive one

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-62389815313699432512010-11-14T13:32:00.005-06:002010-11-14T13:50:45.570-06:00

Cotton consulting has not gotten easier with the advent of Bt and Roundup Ready varieties. Quite the contrary. It's become more of a challenge. Dealer reps and Extension scouts who regularly work in cotton say the same thing. For every solution, there is a problem. Here's how that's worked with cotton insects: The shift to Bt cotton caused a corresponding shift in the insect complex. Pests

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-61491331146263181482010-11-13T09:45:00.000-06:002010-11-13T09:45:29.046-06:00

John LaRose has put out the welcome mat for ag students interested in learning more about conservation tillage in cotton and rice. LaRose announced this week that university ag students can qualify for free admittance to the upcoming National Conservation Systems Rice And Soybean Conference (NCSRSC). LaRose is the publisher of Mid-America Farm Publications and chairman of the conference

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-30543538567437320662010-11-13T09:24:00.000-06:002010-11-13T09:24:33.260-06:00

Have cotton prices peaked? Sharon Johnson, senior cotton analyst with First Capital Group in Atlanta, suspects that may be the case. “Wednesday’s high is looking increasingly as a significant top, if not the top of this entire move,” she noted in a memo Friday. Indicators already were in place, then panic selling in China took hold. “The macro picture has also turned bearish with China’s

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-86101895013350377472010-11-10T15:51:00.000-06:002010-11-10T15:51:08.246-06:00

Our friend and former mentor Leroy Morganti writes a column that's syndicated in a couple of Delta newspapers, and he recently recalled the Fourth of July mule races at the country club in Rosedale, Mississippi, where he and I grew up. Nobody thinks much about mules anymore, much less racing them. But in our small city on the riverside of Bolivar County, the Fourth of July mule races were a

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-39605689819789292912010-11-10T10:41:00.010-06:002010-11-10T12:09:53.229-06:00

High cotton prices appear to be having a spin-off effect on the value of John Faulkner’s 1942 novel, Dollar Cotton. How much? In the previous decade, you could buy the last reprinting of Dollar Cotton all day long for less than $3 dollars a copy. I know that because I bought a stack of them. Today, that same book -- and keep in mind, this is a reprinting, not a first edition -- is being

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-57039759794267996592010-08-05T20:55:00.003-05:002010-08-05T20:57:38.995-05:00

Retail diesel fuel prices rose about one cent in the prior week to reach $2.93 per gallon. Prices were up throughout most of the country, although New England saw a price decline of half a penny to $3.01 per gallon. West Coast prices averaged $3.07 per gallon after increasing one cent. The largest price increase occurred in the Rocky Mountains, where prices increased almost two cents to $2.94

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-62812313835806783672010-08-04T15:07:00.002-05:002010-08-04T15:09:17.842-05:00

Louisiana State University this week released the charts showing how bollworm (corn earworm) pyrethroid tolerance compared in July to the same month going back to 1988. This particular chart tracks the lesser dose used in vial testing of moths. Survivorship for both vial rates increased about 10% compared to 2009, according to a report issued in this week's Louisiana Crops Newsletter. "

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-90716537040878635352010-07-30T09:27:00.001-05:002010-07-31T11:50:28.467-05:00

The battle against Roundup resistant Palmer pigweed had what may be an overlooked consequence for farmers this fall: carryover problems in fields where they might want to plant wheat. Larry Steckel, University of Tennessee Weed Scientist, posted a reminder about that in this week's IPM Newsletter. "There have been a number of calls about planting wheat this fall after using fomesafen

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-39327124511011610932010-07-22T08:58:00.005-05:002010-07-31T20:55:13.549-05:00

I live on Mill Creek in Rankin County, Mississippi, and about 2 miles downstream from where I'm typing right now the creek enters the Pearl River, albeit the Ross Barnett Reservoir impoundment. So, the following article from the U.S. Geological Survey immediately caught my attention... A new species of turtle no bigger than a small dinner plate has been discovered, bringing the number of

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-56139192325661332252010-07-21T20:08:00.007-05:002010-07-31T11:52:28.822-05:00

LSU sculpted in purple and gold rice, the school's colors. Louisiana State University has always had a small but important marketing advantage... Here it is: No other state begins with the letter L. That may not seem important, but it's allowed the university's initials to stand alone, uniquely perhaps, to the point that some fairly educated people outside of Louisiana know it as "LSU"

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-11021795205182667782010-07-18T14:05:00.000-05:002010-07-18T14:05:35.794-05:00

The University of Nebraska has released a series of webinars on corn irrigation. The series delves into the science of maximizing corn yields and also addresses the variability that growers deal with in terms of rainfall patterns, soil types and such. While the focus is on center-pivot irrigation, the webinars provide insight that also would be helpful to growers who furrow-irrigate their corn.

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-88894437390484292392010-07-09T19:40:00.003-05:002010-07-31T11:54:02.925-05:00

Farmers in the  Philippines will soon have nutrient management advice tailored specifically to their rice crops, and the info will be delivered to their mobile phones, according to an article in Rice Today, pulbished by the International Rice Research Institute, based in the Philippines. . Dr. Roland Buresh says that after responding to a series of simple questions about their rice paddy,

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-67717313557930385742010-07-08T22:18:00.002-05:002010-07-08T22:18:55.132-05:00

The national average highway price for diesel fuel declined more than three cents to $2.92 per gallon, $0.33 above the price a year ago. All regions registered price decreases. The East Coast fell over three cents to $2.94 per gallon while the Gulf Coast decreased almost three cents to $2.87 per gallon. The largest decline took place in the Midwest where the average fell four cents to

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-28171527339168883122010-07-03T15:50:00.008-05:002010-07-03T16:30:33.483-05:00

This week we published a series of four DTN articles related to immigrants and the ag industry. Certainly immigration, whether legal or not, has changed the face of who actually will do the day-to-day hard work in rural areas of the country. The series, written by Chris Clayton, gives an overview from the farmer's perspective as well as the issues faced by the unskilled immigrant who wants to

Debrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02999949006183146424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-29148660797312445582010-07-03T10:06:00.001-05:002010-07-03T10:06:21.412-05:00

The International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) released publicly today its Fertilizer Outlook 2010 - 2014 . The report highlights that, after a gloomy year in 2009, fertilizer demand is seen firmly rebounding in 2010 and growing at sustained rates in the next four years. On the fertilizer supply side, the growth of capacity is slower than anticipated last year because of numerous

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-22734218807751688952010-07-01T14:58:00.002-05:002010-07-01T15:01:37.619-05:00

Entomologists frequently warn against using hard chemistry that might flare spider mites, an admonition we're hearing quite a bit this summer. With all the heat, spider mites are present on a wide basis and hitting treatment levels in portions of both the Delta and Southeast. Phillip Roberts, Georgia Extension Entomologist, delved into spider mites in this week's Georgia Cotton Pest Management

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-74955471863757744162010-07-01T12:31:00.001-05:002010-07-01T12:31:40.169-05:00

Southern rust in corn has made a big showing in the South this year, as the map (below) shows. We pulled this off of USDA's crop disease site this morning, then realized that it does not include at least one confirmed find in Tennessee.

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-19207097442268846982010-06-30T14:10:00.000-05:002010-06-30T14:10:40.554-05:00

Eldon Albert Lundberg, the eldest of four brothers who built Lundberg Family Farms into the nation’s leading producer of organic rice and related products, died Saturday, June 26, in Richvale, California, where he lived. He was 82. A native of Phelps County, Nebraska, Lundberg's parents moved west when he was a boy, settling in the small rice-farming town of Richvale in the Sacramento Valley.

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-58633796239665978642010-06-24T14:15:00.003-05:002010-06-24T15:52:23.482-05:00

This has been a weird year for Louisiana corn. First, some corn had enough spider mite pressure that it had to be treated. Off hand, nobody we spoke with could ever remember that happening in the state. Treating mites in corn is fairly common in arid parts of the country, like California's San Joaquin Valley where growers typical spray mites on corn in areas that receive little or no rain

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-86716872555212768722010-06-24T13:49:00.005-05:002010-06-24T15:52:48.862-05:00

The short answer to the question is, "Not very well." The question, itself, came up this week in a conversation with Ames Herbert, Virginia Extension Entomologist, who said that he'd received several farmer calls about spider mites in soybeans north of the James River, an area with mostly a corn-soybean rotation, unlike areas to the south that tend to have more cotton and peanuts. Samples

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-87342332699669673932010-06-24T12:56:00.000-05:002010-06-24T12:56:53.323-05:00

From the U.S. Energy Information Administration this morning... The national average price for diesel fuel at the highway pump rose for the first time since May 10, 2010, climbing three cents to $2.96 per gallon, $0.35 above the price a year ago. With the exception of the Rocky Mountains, prices increased throughout the country. The average on the East Coast increased two and a half

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-32868036018824187322010-06-21T12:54:00.004-05:002010-06-21T13:02:33.284-05:00

Bob Rose’s Weather Blog podcast this week focuses on the Texas purple sage, a common bush in drier parts of Texas that seems to predict rain. Nicknamed “The Barometer Bush,” it seems sensitive to weather changes and often opens its flowers a few days ahead of a rain. Rose is chief meteorologist with the Lower Colorado River Authority. This is the Colorado River in Texas, not to be confused with

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-85886204845110504622010-06-19T20:25:00.000-05:002010-06-19T20:25:50.192-05:00

PureSense Environmental Inc. announced earlier this week that its Irrigation Manager iPhone application is now available through the iTunes App Store. Built as a mobile platform for PureSense subscribers, the PureSense app brings the reporting capabilities of Irrigation Manager to the iPhone, allowing the grower to be more informed, efficient and mobile than ever before. Cory Wyatt with

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-12506536371933279302010-06-17T20:02:00.003-05:002010-06-18T00:08:12.546-05:00

Interesting piece from Dennis O'Brien, a USDA public affairs writer... By unlocking the genetic secrets of sorghum, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have found a way to make one of the world's most important cereal crops a better option for growers. Researchers at the ARS Natural Products Utilization Unit in Oxford, Miss. also may have opened a door to reducing

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-5723571567982866502010-06-16T21:39:00.002-05:002010-06-16T21:41:25.580-05:00

Here's a synopsis from today's diesel price survey report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration... The national average price for diesel fuel fell for the fifth week in a row, dropping two cents to $2.93 per gallon, $0.36 above a year ago. Prices fell in all regions of the country as the East Coast declined two cents to $2.95 per gallon. The Midwest price dipped a cent to

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-15838914528450053712010-06-12T18:16:00.000-05:002010-06-12T18:16:28.677-05:00

USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in California is offering voluntary, environmentally-friendly control options to California farmers near confirmed trappings of the foreign pest, European Grapevine Moth (EGVM). So far EGVM has been found in Fresno, Mendocino, Merced, Monterey, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma counties.  One million dollars has been set aside by NRCS to assist

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-6276844091937662642010-06-12T11:02:00.002-05:002010-06-12T11:58:57.405-05:00

It's been many years since I had to live with a dial-up internet connection on a day-to-day basis. It was a miracle then, but now it's just one more story that my kids don't want to hear.I now take my high speed internet service for granted, except when I pay the bill. And, I don't even need that service when I check my email or surf the web on my handy, dandy smart phone (yet, another bill to

Debrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02999949006183146424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-48768895099437453212010-06-11T17:30:00.002-05:002010-06-11T17:32:08.627-05:00

Farmers and others involved in production ag have a new source of information on the efficient use of ag machiner. The Oklahoma State University Agricultural Machinery Systems website contains information from the departments of biosystems and ag engineering, as well as educational material generated at other universities. Randy Taylor, OSU Cooperative Extension engineer, machinery systems,

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-14520543897646568262010-06-09T17:27:00.002-05:002010-06-09T18:16:12.689-05:00

What are the odds that a hurricane will be active in the Gulf of Mexico during any given period, but particularly during harvest season? This chart gives at least some indication. It was posted on the U.S. Energy Information Administration web site with an article about potential disruptions to Gulf of Mexico oil production this year. It shows the frequency of Gulf hurricanes and tropical

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-78025583622264554132010-06-08T08:52:00.012-05:002010-06-08T13:02:28.239-05:00

It seems the Reefs Hotel and Club in Southhampton, Bermuda, has plenty of rooms but one less tractor, and they are making the most of the situation. According to Ben Tutt, The Reefs managing director, "Every morning, we rake and groom our private pink sand beach to keep it pristine for our guests. It takes quite a bit of manpower and the aid of a sturdy tractor. Unfortunately, our tractor

Debrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02999949006183146424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-29580808744726389812010-06-04T15:04:00.018-05:002010-07-31T11:47:29.675-05:00

So, who doesn't? You never forget your first fire ant encounter. A part of your body is unexpectedly set on fire throwing you into a sort of dance with a lot of yelping. Somehow I avoided fire ants until the late 1980s when I was interviewing Dr. Normie Buehring at the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center at Verona. I thought I had just asked a really bad question when he started

Debrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02999949006183146424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-69808519162443657202010-06-04T07:04:00.003-05:002010-06-04T07:45:32.747-05:00

How hot will it get in Texas this summer? Meteorologist Bob Rose with the Austin-based Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA)says it will be plenty hot, based on the number of likely days at or above 100. But he still doesn't believe there will be as many of those days as the state saw in 2009. LCRA manages reservoirs on the Colorado River of Texas that supply water to a large portion of Texas

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-54571209134406745432010-06-03T17:26:00.001-05:002010-06-03T17:31:20.014-05:00

Arkansas rice farmer Ray Vester, of Stuttgart, was named today to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Committee (FRRCC), according to a report posted in the USA Rice Federation’s Rice Daily e-letter. The FRRCC is an independent committee that advises EPA on a wide range of environmental issues of importance to agriculture and rural communities.

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-5221456556784012462010-06-02T18:23:00.002-05:002010-06-02T18:23:28.116-05:00

Scientists from South Korea are reporting new evidence that capsaicin, the stuff that gives chili peppers their kick, may cause weight loss and fight fat buildup by triggering certain beneficial protein changes in the body. Their study, which could lead to new treatments for obesity, appears in American Chemical Society's monthly Journal of Proteome Research. Laboratory studies have hinted

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-77414826226863082112010-05-27T10:39:00.002-05:002010-05-27T10:51:52.687-05:00

Brazil’s sugarcane ethanol industry wants to make inroads in the U.S. fuel market, which means taking potential gallonage from corn-based ethanol. In what has to be the ultimate in-your-face push yet, Brazilians will promote their product during the telecast of the 2010 Indianapolis 500 race this Sunday. This isn't just the premier racing event in the U.S. (sorry, NASCAR fans) but also an

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-23824868689077042682010-05-26T11:40:00.002-05:002010-05-26T11:40:48.785-05:00

Mississippi Extension workers breathed a sigh of relief today when it was determined that loopers causing economic damage in some Delta soybean fields are not hard-to-control soybean loopers but, instead, a more obscure pest, the gray moth looper. The identification means that the loopers can be controlled with pyrethroids, which are less expensive than insecticides typically needed to knock

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-68881862999953125482010-05-26T09:09:00.000-05:002010-05-26T09:09:19.247-05:00

From the University of Georgia, an article by Sharon Dowdy Farmville and Farmtown computer programs let people pretend to be farmers. A program developed by university scientists lets researchers grow virtual crops, too, but in a real effort to advise farmers on how to save money and resources. The program is called Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer, or DSSAT

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-54494059227724267772010-05-23T12:45:00.002-05:002010-05-23T12:48:49.580-05:00

In parts of Africa, rice farmers say that the 2 biggest yield robbers they face are weeds through the season and birds that feed on maturing grain. As researchers with AfricaRice find, the 2 go hand in hand. More weeds, more birds, more loss. This is a different kind of bird problem than we face in the American South, of course. Bird problems here – usually related to blackbirds – occur in

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-60372085792305160502010-05-21T14:59:00.001-05:002010-05-21T14:59:41.850-05:00

The current economic downturn could benefit U.S. rice exports to the United Kingdom, according to a report today by Betsy Ward with the USA Rice Federation. During the U.K. Rice Association Symposium this week in London, a consumer analyst noted that the weak economy is promoting more eating at home in the U.K., just  as it is here. "Rice is benefiting because it is quick and easy to prepare

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-80474083508196578812010-05-21T09:55:00.005-05:002010-05-21T10:03:32.168-05:00

Precision ag - with all the GPS guidance, yield monitors and variable-rate application methods - was still considered a fairly novel idea 10 years ago when promoters launched the first International Conference On Precision Agriculture (ICPA). This year, the conference hits that decade mark, and it has grown into a full-blown scientific and commercial event. More than 275 research papers will be

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-59644140978938114202010-05-21T09:12:00.000-05:002010-05-21T09:12:19.798-05:00

Six new corn inbred lines with resistance to aflatoxin contamination have been found to be free of seed-borne diseases foreign to the United States, and seeds of these lines are now available in the United States for further development toward commercialization. For Southern farmers, that’s significant. Aflatoxins are cancer-causing toxins produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus after

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-43255539551120765272010-05-20T08:13:00.000-05:002010-05-20T08:13:48.490-05:00

Markets and Markets, a research firm based in Dallas, Texas, projects that the market for ag chemicals will double by 2014, according to a press release the company issued this morning. "Increasing population and reducing availability of arable land has boosted the use of agrochemicals to improve productivity, crop protection and storage," the released stated. "The global agrochemicals market

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-6893687813494374782010-05-19T11:08:00.002-05:002010-05-19T11:13:16.780-05:00

June 1 is the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season, and indications are that this could be an active, even destructive, hurricane season, according to Bob Rose, chief meteorologist for the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA). To clear up a frequent point of confusion, this is the Colorado River in Texas, not the one that forms the Grand Canyon. The Colorado River in Texas supplies

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-88563795448261519972010-05-16T20:14:00.000-05:002010-05-16T20:14:04.861-05:00

Mirid bugs -- which in Asian cotton occupy a niche similar to the one filled by thrips in the U.S. -- have become an economic cotton pest in parts of China with the adoption of Bt cotton there. Here's a report from today's L.A.Times. - Owen Taylor

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-29063105842833032942010-05-14T11:50:00.002-05:002010-05-16T20:39:32.179-05:00

Twice today I've sat in front of my television with the idea that The Weather Channel (TWC) would show me a national map with current radar imaging. I wanted to know where it was raining, where it wasn't and which way any thunderstorms were heading. At one time, that was TWC's stock in trade. Not any more. TWC has increasingly blended "entertainment" programming into its schedule, moving away

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-85295726399603622592010-05-13T21:10:00.000-05:002010-05-13T21:10:12.633-05:00

Bob Rose is chief meteorologist with the Lower Colorado River Authority LCRA). This is the Colorado River in Texas, and LCRA operates reservoirs that supply urban water and also feed irrigation systems in areas west of Houston, including much of the state's rice belt. Here's his take on how the heat will run this summer...

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-64320738639285773052010-04-29T18:45:00.004-05:002010-04-29T18:48:14.125-05:00

Losses of managed honey bee colonies nationwide totaled 33.8 percent from all causes from October 2009 to April 2010, according to a survey conducted by the Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA) and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). Beekeepers identified starvation, poor weather, and weak colonies going into winter as the top reasons for mortality in their operations. Photo:

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-33773276172256068132010-04-24T13:29:00.002-05:002010-04-24T14:12:15.157-05:00

From Owen Taylor, AgFax Editorial Director: Our contacts in California have been telling us through the winter and into the spring that the state would have more cotton, something clearly reflected in surveys by both USDA and the National Cotton Council. A cotton module beneath palm trees in the San Joaquin Valley. Photo © Debra L. Ferguson, Southern-Images.Com As it's shaping up

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-62990819356137603312010-04-24T11:16:00.003-05:002010-04-24T11:28:56.143-05:00

One weather service we follow now is the forecasts coming from Bob Rose at the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), based in Austin, Texas. Don't confuse the Colorado River in this case with the one to the west. The Texas Colorado River, among other things, supplies water for Austin and also provides irrigation resources for farmers growing rice and other crops west of Houston. Click below to

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-76988953184992451362010-04-23T06:52:00.001-05:002010-04-23T06:55:05.978-05:00

A sharp runup in global sugar prices in the last several months has much to do with a cyclical decline in sugar production in India - the world’s second largest producer - that is at least temporarily shifting the country from a net exporter of sugar to a net importer. A white paper by Maurice R. Landes with USDA's Economic Research Service, maintains that the decline in India's production

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-14126989874065415752010-04-19T11:46:00.006-05:002010-04-19T12:26:10.433-05:00

Dr. Ken Smith, extension weed scientist for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, is dead serious about the subject of herbicide resistant weeds, especially the obnoxious pigweed. He wants to see the seed dead before it even has a chance to germinate.In Pigweed: Kill the Seed, Beat the Weed Smith makes these points:Pigweed seed has a fairly short life in the soil.Deep

Debrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02999949006183146424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-65955860362168453262010-04-16T12:25:00.007-05:002010-04-16T14:40:31.298-05:00

USDA has issued an advisory regarding a potential cotton pest that has been detected in both Puerto Rico and the southernmost island in the Florida Keys. The pest, the cottonseed bug (Oxycarenus hyalinipennis), is a pest of economic importance in Africa and Southeast Asia, according to a report prepared by USDA’s Plant Epidemiology and Risk Analysis Lab in Raleigh, N.C. Some sources

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-3639023287403416202010-04-11T13:58:00.000-05:002010-04-11T13:58:34.369-05:00

Popular Science carried a brief article in the May 2010 issue (see page 37) about a Northern Ireland farmer who built a cow-powered treadmill for generating electricity. According to the farmer, cows walk about 8 miles a day, anyway, and a well-exercised cow produces more milk and produces less greenhouse gas. Estimated payback on a multi-cow generator is about 3 years, he estimated. This isn't

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-38207621921325288122010-03-12T08:43:00.000-06:002010-03-12T08:43:53.567-06:00

In eastern North Carolina, cotton agent and Martin County Extension Director J.B. Coltrain uses Twitter to reach a small group of farmers interested in highly localized information: when to plant cotton and when moth counts reach a level that makes it advisable to use insecticides. I cited Coltrain as a quick example this winter during a couple of ag conferences where I was asked to review new

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-40181736078278840502010-03-10T20:55:00.011-06:002010-04-01T17:15:08.889-05:00

This week, Monsanto broke ground on its fourth research facility in Mississippi. Significantly, this one – unlike those in Leland, Scott and Winterville – won’t be in the Delta. This new 300-acre corn research center will be sited at Flora in Madison County, just up U.S. 49 from Jackson. The county has been one of the state’s growth areas in the last 20 years. It already was a thriving,

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-11810313832316268612010-03-08T10:50:00.000-06:002010-03-08T10:50:03.126-06:00

We keep hearing - as everyone else does - about more farmers returning to cotton this year after a prolonged flirtation with corn. The question for many is: "How am I going to harvest it?" In many instances - who knows how many? - farmers got out of cotton in a serious way, selling pickers, module builders and boll buggies. Howard "The Dirt Doctor" Small, a crop consultant in southeast Georgia

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-89976810311958866142010-03-08T09:13:00.000-06:002010-03-08T09:13:50.189-06:00

At least a small amount of corn planting started in Louisiana over the weekend. Here's a link to a report at NewAgTalk.Com, an independent (meaning no ads, quick-loading on dialup) farm forum. In his weekend Ag Report, consultant Roger Carter said that a small amount of corn planting had started in his area in the last couple of days. Carter said that soil temperatures were still too cold at

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-35470276549254807542010-03-05T08:12:00.000-06:002010-03-05T08:12:45.046-06:00

Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation last month launched the Farm Families of Mississippi (FFM) ag media campaign. Farm Bureau organized a group of agricultural interests to fund the campaign. The goal: reinforce a positive perception of ag among Mississippi consumers. So far, 475 spots have been purchased on two Jackson metro TV stations. Radio ads are in the works, and billboards are going up,

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-7047312403121894652010-03-04T15:08:00.001-06:002010-03-04T15:10:37.219-06:00

The University of Georgia, facing a budget crisis that's all-too-familiar in other states right now, will have to cut $300 million from its next fiscal year, and ag programs will take a hit if initial proposals take effect. The most incendiary proposal, so far: eliminate 4-H, which is administered by the university's extension service. Other proposals include closing half the state's county

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-4936108424722394642010-03-03T07:26:00.000-06:002010-03-03T07:26:14.918-06:00

Our contacts in California keep hearing projections that shortages in extra long-staple (ELS) cotton could push the price for the state's Pima cotton to $1.50 a pound this year. The state's ELS acreage would dramatically increase in that case, provided enough irrigation water is available to support the acres. That point is still in question, though. A couple of our contacts -- mainly

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-84549251263447838102010-02-26T09:27:00.000-06:002010-02-26T09:27:00.683-06:00

In a recent article in The Business of Consulting - the web business magazine that covers the ag consulting profession - I recommended that my readers look into a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) mobile broadband plan if they didn't want to sign a 2-year contract and shell out $60 to $70 a month for service that they may only need part of the year. The 2 plans I outlined were with Verizon and Virgin. At

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-52503549799807063162010-02-24T13:48:00.009-06:002010-02-24T13:48:00.646-06:00

Why do people buy into new technology? The best answer comes from Nokia, the global cell phone manufacturer. Nokia – which accounts for more than 37% of global cell phone handset sales - has extensively studied that question and finds that a person will invest in new technology if it improves at least one of three specific needs in the consumer’s life. The more of these factors it touches, the

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-61236446931107022432010-02-22T23:04:00.004-06:002010-02-23T14:11:53.836-06:00

The farm audience has increasingly become mobile, meaning that a larger share of you retrieve email and browse the web through a mobile device, whether it's your cell phone or a notebook computer linked to the internet through a wireless card. We launched our mobile site, agfax.mobi, halfway through the last decade for that very reason, and about 7% of our web traffic now comes through some form

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-45837729550927991012010-02-22T10:58:00.005-06:002010-02-22T11:03:15.870-06:00

Agriculture education will take a hit at Mississippi State University if recommendations by a campus-based committee become a reality. The committee, charged with finding cost-cutting measures for the cash-strapped institution, called for eliminating several ag degrees, including: The undergrad degree in integrated pest management. Master's degrees in horticulture and food sciences. The

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-23649008657950329312010-02-17T13:50:00.000-06:002010-02-17T13:50:40.759-06:00

From California Farm Burea's e-letter today: "Cling peach farmers have removed more than 1,400 acres of trees from production this winter. That is part of an effort by farmers to bring supply and demand for cling peaches into balance. Cling peaches are mainly used for canning, and oversupply has been a drag on farmer earnings. The removal brings the bearing acreage of cling peaches in California

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-53531570642123837922010-02-06T13:39:00.001-06:002010-02-06T13:39:54.745-06:00

Several farmers in Deleware, Maryland and Pennsylvania posted blizzard reports on NewAgTalk.Com, my favorate forum. It makes the weather here in Mississippi seem far less complicated. Here's the link: http://talk.newagtalk.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=148799&posts=30&start=1 - Owen Taylor

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-67900120602878802912010-02-01T09:55:00.007-06:002010-02-02T09:59:20.757-06:00

Just before the end of the year and right on the cusp of a new decade, the Christian Science Monitor's editors published an insightful group of articles: 6 Ideas That Will Change The World. Of the six main items -- several lesser trends also were noted -- half either directly or indirectly affected agriculture. They were: Africa's agricultural expansion. We've had items about this in the past

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-3899037786336965002010-02-01T05:42:00.021-06:002010-02-01T08:43:27.549-06:00

Cotton isn't just a crop. For those who grow it, it's a member of the family. Lately, it's the errant cousin who has been pushed to the outside, the one who shows up now and then for reunions. The one we roll our eyes at when he's not looking. I have never grown one stalk of cotton. But for years, I have made a living photographing the people and crops of agriculture. Cotton is the one that

Debrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02999949006183146424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-65054830736798390562010-01-27T14:26:00.006-06:002010-01-27T15:40:01.078-06:00

It's that time of the year when weather forecasting firms gaze into the old supercomputer and try to divine which way hurricane season will head.Most of them were pretty much off target last year (correct me if you know differently) because the reports I saw called for at least moderate activity. In fact, 2009 was a light year, overall. Yes, much of mid America -- from Louisiana to the upper Corn

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-28301800597501534342010-01-27T09:26:00.001-06:002010-01-27T09:27:41.551-06:00

I found a thread this morning on the independent forum, New Ag Talk, that discusses cotton herbicide plans that these farmers intend to use in 2010's crop.Significantly, I doubt if this discussion would have taken place 5 years ago, back when Roundup resistance wasn't a known factor and the main question was, "When do you spray Roundup?" Comments cover Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri and

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-75869745940488626162010-01-26T06:13:00.005-06:002010-01-26T07:09:54.807-06:00

Here's a thread from New Ag Talk, my favorite agricultural forum, about the future of cotton. Like these things go, it rambles a bit, but the comments from farmers in several states touch on both the immediate future of the crop, general planting intentions for 2010 and its long-term prospects.See, in particular, the sixth entry about what apparently is an adjustment that John Deere has made to

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-8139816654351223342010-01-21T11:53:00.003-06:002010-01-21T12:07:09.582-06:00

Sugar continues to soar. That will have little, if any, if any effect on sugar acres in the U.S. this year. The 2010 sugarcane crop already has been planted, and marketing allotments also are fixed for cane and beet sugar.Here's a report from John Christopher with The Linn Group:Sugar futures hit a 29-year high Wednesday as the market continues to focus on lower crops in both Brazil and India.

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-22679973074960881952010-01-21T11:40:00.003-06:002010-01-21T11:44:43.909-06:00

"Cold wave" is a commonly-heard phrase this time of year, but under what conditions do meteorologists use the expression? Mary Knapp, the state climatologist for Kansas, puts it this way:"As used by the National Weather Service, it means a rapidly falling temperature in the next 24 hours. These falling temperatures would require substantially increased protection foragricultural, industry,

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-30548205658766145462010-01-21T11:21:00.003-06:002010-01-21T11:24:16.896-06:00

The Ag Connect trade show, which just concluded its first even in Orlando, Florida, was much-promoted, based on what our readers and others have been saying. How did it stack up?Some attendees expressed a bit of disappointment in a thread on NewAgTalk.Com.- Owen Taylor

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-64684695846103050292010-01-21T11:15:00.005-06:002010-01-21T11:21:02.050-06:00

Ag equipment sales are expected to remain light, according to a report today from the national Association of Equipment Manufacturers, a trade group that works in both the farm and construction equipment industries.Reasons for pessimism include still-low commodity prices, a general decline in farm income and tighter credit.Some bright spots still may be out there, according to a report from the

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-65896237015703134432010-01-19T15:05:00.002-06:002010-01-19T15:07:54.454-06:00

The answer: longer than a five-gallon bucket, at least.See this thread, with photo, on NewAgTalk.Com, my favorite ag forum.- Owen Taylor

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18740752.post-86304982092886793412010-01-19T14:47:00.003-06:002010-01-19T14:54:13.284-06:00

Gowan Company, LLC announced this week that it has obtained exclusive U.S. marketing rights from Nippon Soda Co., Ltd. for Intruder 70WSP insecticide for use on cotton. Until now, the product had been marketed by DuPont. Intruder 70WSP contains the active ingredient acetamiprid, part of the neonicitinoid family of insecticides, discovered and wholly owned by Nippon

Owen Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04532389835504821703noreply@blogger.com0